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12.26.2013

Boost Your Blog // Three Ways to Interact with Others Online

The best thing about the blogging world - well about the internet in general - is that there are so many people out there, you are bound to find someone you can connect with. I love commenting on blogs, flipping through Instagram, & tagging on twitter to see who I can find that might just be pretty neat to talk to. I have to say I'm not too shy when it comes to online chatting but in real life sometimes I can be a wallflower. The other day I was posting an Instagram picture of my new Violet Vox Box & did all those hashtags you do to get your photo to show up when people search & decided to actually click on the hashtag to see what came up. I ended up liking & commenting on a few pictures because I found someone who has something in common with me! Weird, right? So that little connection made me think about how you can actually connect with people online & not in a weird way, you know?

This is under the Boost Your Blog title because if you have a blog it's probably linked to all your social profiles. So in addition to talking to other awesome people, linking your blog to these profiles means others will probably pop by. Now, I'm all for honesty - so no posts like 'hey, I blog - check it out - link'. Please don't do that. Be genuine & actually care about what you're commenting and liking. You'd want others to do the same for you! Alright, on with the blog post:

Search Hashtags - On Instagram & Twitter (you know) you can hashtag your thoughts with any number of things. It would be super funny to just search things like #sorrynotsorry - I'm sure you'd turn up a bunch of crazy stuff. But, if you want to narrow it down search a specific hashtag you're interested in. If you're a part of something like Influenster or Birchbox, use their monthly hashtag to connect with others. After all, hashtags are meant to create a category to be searched & looked through. Try anything you wish, honestly. Sometimes when I'm looking for make up inspiration I'll search related hashtags just to see whats out there.

Sidebar Blog Sponsors - Something I'm sure you do anyway, but you can always fall down the blogging rabbit hole when you click through sidebars. Click a sponsor button on a blog, give that link a little look, then click on something in their sidebar. It is endless (nearly). Also it's a fun game of 6 degrees of separation sometimes. Also getting involved in link parties or button swaps can totally get you meeting new people in no time.

YouTube - I have to say this is something I've been trying to get into but honestly I think that commenting on YouTube videos is a bit scary. Mainly because there are a lot of big name YouTubers out there & I'm intimidated! I also have to admit its easy not to comment on a video. I'm way more likely to comment on a blog that a video but on the rare chance that I see something I like, I have to comment. Just a little way to share a connection, you know - that's what I'm all about.

So that's how I try to connect with people online. It's just fun to talk to someone you don't know & share some common ground with a stranger. And if you're nervous about commenting - just remember these bloggers/instagramers/twitter users/youtubers have put themselves out there publicly on forums that allow for commenting! So odds are you're not going to seem weird for commenting, you know!

How do you interact with others online? Have you made any online friends?

Hi there, thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I love &value each & every one! If you have a question, I will respond as soon as I can. Don't be afraid to shoot me an email! If you have a blog, I will pop on by :)

H E L L O ! !

I'm Moe, a 9-5er, Southern at Heart, Indiana transplant & sweet tea enthusiast who believes she should try her hand at something new every day. Five Sixteenths is a blog about living a fulfilling & creative life one moment at a time.